Manchester City want a buy-back option on Super Eagles striker Kelechi Iheanacho. The striker, who has become a target for West Ham and Leicester City and has attracted interest across the Premier League this summer.
The 20-year-old is to be made available as Pep Guardiola changes his squad but with such interest in a proven Premier League goalscorer who is still in the early stages of his career, City are insisting on the buy-back clause in order to cover themselves in the event that they want Iheanacho back.
He is valued at around £25 million and his buy-back clause will be worth at least £10 million on top of that sum to the club that signs him.
The buy-back clause is viewed by clubs as a failsafe way of protecting themselves against losing top young players who fall out of favour with the manager of the day. It makes negotiations over a transfer more complex with the buying club having to ensure that they are covered at both ends of the deal.
Leicester want the player too, as reported by TELEGRAPH this month. Fr West Ham, who have already given a contract to former City full-back Pablo Zabaleta this summer, Iheanacho is an attractive proposition.
There has been concern that Slaven Bilic’s side lack pace and also that the average of the squad is high. Iheanacho would be a good fit for West Ham and the are eager to take fewer risks than they did last summer when loan signings such as Simonev Zaza and Jonathan Calleri proved such a disappointment.
